TRENDS for the week of 26 May to 1 June --
-- Temperatures will average 1 to 2 deg above normal values with a warming trend.
-- Rainfalls will average 25 to 50 per cent of normal.
-- Sunshine will average near normal although possibly a bit below average in the south.
-- Winds will remain generally rather light with nights often calm.
FORECASTS
TODAY will be partly cloudy and slightly warmer than recent days in most
areas, highs 14 to 17 C. There will be some lingering light rain or
drizzle in parts of west Munster but this is showing signs of
dissipating later this morning too, temperatures will be a bit cooler
until the cloud does break up there (12 to 14 C).
TONIGHT will bring some clear skies in the east and north, partly cloudy
to overcast in the south and west. Lows will therefore range from about
2-5 C in the north and east, to 7-10 C in the south and west.
THURSDAY will start out with some sunny intervals in the east and north,
mostly cloudy in the south and west. A band of light rain will develop
and cross parts of the southwest and midlands, leading to a drop in
temperatures during the rain, but otherwise highs will reach about 17 C
(it may drop off to near 10 C when raining).
FRIDAY this weak disturbance will begin to break up over the east with a
few residual showers, followed by partly cloudy to sunny skies, lows
near 8 C and highs near 18 C.
From SATURDAY to around TUESDAY 1st of June, the weather will turn
warmer with some hazy sunshine each day, and just slight chances of rain
mostly from weak fronts near Atlantic coasts later in the period. Highs
will be at least 20 or 21 C and could be a few degrees higher inland if
there's enough sunshine. Nights will be fairly mild with lows generally
around 7 to 9 C although a few inland spots could get briefly down
around 2-5 C although with nights as short as they are now, very few
will be out and about when those temperatures happen anyway (around
0400-0500 hours).
Some recent guidance seems to be more optimistic about how long this
warm spell might last although with such a prolonged cool spell coming
to an end it probably wouldn't take much to tilt the balance back to
cooler temperatures at some point next week, hopefully this warmth will
dig in and take over for a while, as I'm sure the growing season has
been held back slightly by all the cool temperatures in April and May.